Von Bonn nach Miami: Ein Erfahrungsbericht von Adina Constantin, DHL Consulting
Von NRW nach Florida, von Bonn nach Miami – Adina Constantin wechselt Lebensstil und Kontinent, nicht aber den Arbeitgeber. Für DHL Consulting geht die gebürtige Rumänin zwei Jahre in die Staaten. Wo es noch familiärer als in Bonn zugehen wird, wie die 28-Jährige bereits in Erfahrung gebracht hat. Was sie erwartet, berichtet sie – natürlich in Englisch – den Lesern von junior//consultant.
What I really enjoy at my job with DHL Consulting is that I don’t have a fix job description. Each project comes with new tasks, responsibilities and exciting problems to solve. While all unique projects, the core of the work is similar – we analyze our clients’ challenges and seek best in class solutions.
“Working in consulting contains a fast learning curve and excellent career development potential.”
Adina Constantin, DHL Consulting
My consulting career started in May 2015 when I joined the DHL Consulting team in Bonn. The decision to work for DHL Consulting was based on two key reasons. First, it is a great opportunity to work with a passionate and dynamic team and I was sure this would support my professional growth and ambitions. Second, as part of the Deutsche Post DHL Group, there are amazing opportunities to gain in-depth industry knowledge in not only logistics but all parts of the business such as finance, HR, strategy, operations and IT. At the same time, there are great chances to pursue future career opportunities in one of the over 220 countries and territories the Group operates in worldwide.
I love to work in consulting and I think this is a great choice for a fast learning curve and career development potential. In a nutshell, what I like more about my job are the following: 1. Smart and ambitious people from who I can learn immensely, 2. Dynamic and challenging projects so you never get bored, 3. Numerous development opportunities – for example, I will be relocating to our Americas Office and working from Miami for the next two years.
“I will work in Miami for the next two years – and I already know all my new collegues.”
Adina Constantin, DHL Consulting
I do already know every one of my colleagues from the other office. Most of them have already been in Bonn on project basis or for an office exchange. However, DHL Consulting is just coming back from our yearly off-site (what we call “Strategy Workshop”). All our four offices gather in one place for three days. Next to some workshops focussing on the strategic development of DHL Consulting or best practice sharing, we are bonding across all offices during team events, dinners and parties. This time our Stategy Workshop team invited us to a theme park in the Netherlands. I especially used the time to get to know my new team better even better – and the Miami team was curios to learn more about me. In our headquarter in Germany our portfolio includes business and supply chain consulting projects, tailored to creating value for Deutsche Post DHL Group and external customers. I was told, that projects in Miami are typically closer to the ground and therefore it feels being closer to implementation. We will see, but it sounds interesting to me.
“In Bonn it takes a lot of lunch invites till you know everyone in the team. In Miami usually the whole office is having lunch together.”
Adina Constantin, DHL Consulting
Miami
Apart from an increasing amount of sunshine hours, there will be some changes in my everyday working life: Our team in Florida is way smaller than in Bonn. All in all the team in Bonn is already very close – however, the dynamics in the US will be slightly different. In our headquarter, you know every one of our 70 colleagues on first name basis. Whenever someone new joins in Bonn, he or she receives a lot of lunch invites because the team would like to get to know the newbie. Besides the team lunches that we are having every week, we usually meet for 1 on 1 lunch. In the US, the entire team – consisting of approx. ten people – becomes a group. The whole office joins together for lunch. For example, the project teams in Miami repeat more frequently, but are not always the same. While in Bonn, you are having much more exposure to different Partners and Project Managers.
A question I often receive is how I manage to keep a work-life balance as a consultant. Indeed, our industry does not typically offer a typical 9.00 to 17.00 job. This doesn’t mean that we are not fully enjoying our private lives and pursuing our passions. The different team size also has influence on the project team settings. For example, when I decided to attend a German language course organized during the normal working hours, I received full support from my managers.
Autorin: Adina Constantin, DHL Consulting
Adina Constantin absolvierte zunächst einen Bachelor in International Relations and European Studies in Bukarest und studierte dann Business Administration in Amsterdam. Neben Studium und Job engagiert sie sich bei GRASP (Global Romanian Society of Young Professionals). Bei DHL Consulting ist sie seit 2015 beschäftigt, zunächst in Bonn, ab Herbst 2016 für zwei Jahre im US-Headquarter in Miami.